yes, we are all waiting to cue the confetti with hopes for a last-minute deal to avert the fiscal cliff. with sweeping tax hikes and spending cuts set to take effect at midnight, frantic negotiations are ongoing at this hour with the president teasing the prospect of a deal on at least part of the cliff just hours ago. >> it appears that an agreement to prevent this new year's tax hike is within sight, but it's not done. we we're hopeful that congress can get it done, but it's not done. >> so it's not done. in case you missed that, he said it twice, not done. reports of an emerging deal focus on a few key parameters, raising tax rates on couple it's making more than $450,000 a year, increasing the estate tax rate, and extending unemployment benefits for one year. the major sticking point new appears to be sequester spending. while the president said he would prefer a grand bargain, a certain branch of government stood in the way. >> with this congress that was obviously a little too much to hope for. one thing we can count on with respect to this congress is that if there's even one sec